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(No Model.) 2 SheetSheet 1.

Y J. W. WALSH. RAILWAY RAIL JOINT.

No. 414,348. Patented Nov. 5, 1889.

gap 4 N PEYERS, mommaw or. Wawhmgun. IL c (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. W. WALSH.

RAILWAY RAIL JOINT.

No. 414,348. Patented Nov. 5, 1889.

N. PEYERS mammo ram, Wzshiugton. u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN IV. IVALSH, OF TROY, NEWV YORK, ASSIGNOR OF PART TO ERASTUS II. VAUGHN AND EDWARD F. MURRAY, OF SAME PLACE.

RAlLWAY-RAI L JOINT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 414,348, dated November 5, 1889.

Application filed December 15, 1888. Serial No. 298,744. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN WV. \VALSH, a resident of Troy, in the county of Rensselaer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railway-Rail Joints; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, that will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in the several figures therein.

My invention relates to improvements in railway-rail joints; and it consists of the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter described, and pointed out, in the claims.

Figure l of the drawings is a top plan View of my improved joint, one rail being shown in position by solidlines, and the position of the other rail being indicated by dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section taken on the broken line 00 a; in Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are respectively plan and end views of the adjusting and locking wedge. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal vertical section of the wedge and subjacent parts, taken on the broken line 3 y in Fig. 1, and showing the rail and rail-sustaining plate in side elevation. Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the flanged chair detached from the other parts. Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the rail-sustaining plate and slide-block integral therewith.

A is a metal chair, consisting of a base-plate provided with the slotsA, adapted to receive spikes, by which the chair is secured to a cross-tie. (Not shown in the drawings.) The chair is also provided with a rail-sustaining plate or flange A integral therewith; adapted to wedge in between the ball and flange of the rails 13, as shown in Fig. 2, being the ball and B the flange of the rail. The chair is also provided with a rib or flange A nearly parallel with the rail-flange, and with an aperture A located between said flanges A and A having two of its sides about right-angular to the rail-sustaining flange, and beveled to form a slideway for abevel-edged slide-block O, integral with a rail-sustaining plate or flange O, adapted equally with flange A to wedge in between the ball and flange of the rails, as shown in Fig. 2. The bevel of the edges is indicated by the dotted lines A on the chair, and C on the slide-block; also, by the solid lines C in Fig. 5.

The slide-block is adapted to be loosely inserted in the aperture A until its beveled edges are on the same level with the beveled edges of the chair-plate inclosing the aperture, when it may be slid along toward the flang'A the small plate 0 projecting from the bottom of the slide-block, occupying the space A", communicating with the aperture A The flange A may also be provided with one or more studs or pins A roj ecting rightangularly therefrom, and adapted to enter apertures in the web of the rails to prevent too great longitudinal movement of the rails, the holes being sufficiently elongated to permit of contraction and expansion, due to changes in temperature.

The operation of the device is as follows: The chair A is placed upon a cross-tie (not shown) and the contiguous ends of two successive rails in a railway laid thereon, as indicated partly by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 5, the pins A being inserted through the holes in the webs of the rails. The slide-block is then inserted in the aperture A in such a position that the rail-plate O is parallel with the rails. The block and plate are then slid toward the rails to about the position shown in Fig. 1, and the wedge D inserted in the space D between the flanges A and the contiguous edges of the slide-block, as shown in Fig. 1. The wedge is then driven farther into the space D, thereby forcing both the railsustaining plates or flanges tightly against the rails and wedging the plates in between the ball and flanges of the rails, thereby not only forcing and holding the rails in alignment with each other, but materially assisting the webs of the rails in resisting lateral strains. When the wedge has been driven to produce a sufliciently tight joint, it is secured in position by driving a spike (shown by dotted line S in Fig. 2) through one of the slots D in the wedge and through aperture position. After railway-rail joints have been in-use a short time the wear and strain of passin g cars an d locomotives will cause a change in position of the parts, which renders them loose and unstable, and consequently of little or no value as an aid to the web of the rail in resisting lateral strains.

To effectually readjust the parts forming my improved joint, it is only necessary to draw the spike S and with two or three blows of a hammer force the wedgeuntil all the parts are again bound tightly in place, and then insert the spike in the cross-tie through any slot orspike-hole in the wedge which registers with thefaperture A have a series of ,slots D? or spike-holes D Theiparts will then remain in perfect adjustment-zand continue to materially support the rails fora long period without further attention orchanger There are no bolts ,or nut-s1 to loosen, and it is impossible for any. of the partslto again workloose until the sustaining-plates are actually worn away at their contact-point with the ball and .fiange of the rails,l .when the parts may be-again tightened," as before, and the life ofthe jointwthereby sustained through a long period ot use. It

should .be observed that the sustaining-plates arelnade thicker at their longitudinal centers opposite the contiguous endsof the rails.

andtaper-toward theirv ends,.the shape and thickness of the ends being indicated-by the dotte'dlines extending ,from the ball to..the fian-gesofthe. railin' Fig. 2, to give thegreat:

est sustaining power to the plates with the:

leastamountof metal. For the same reason the plates are provided with the strengthen-- ing.,cross ribs or-fianges A and with-the longitudinal top and bottom ribs AL and,

whenv desired, with the horizontal bracing;

webs A (Shown in full on one end ofthe plates and indicated by dottedlines on the other end in Fig.v 1 only.)

Instead of (the pins A andv corresponding holes in the webs of the rails, a modified form of construction :for preventing longitudinal displacementof the rails may belemployed,

consisting of the spike-holes A ,formed-in thessustaining-plates and made to register withjc'orresponding slots; in the, edges. of the rail-flanges, as shown in Fig.1, and with the spike-holes e in the chair, the slots in .the-

rail-flanges beingindicated by dotted lines.

and shown a littlewider'than the spike-holes in theplates;

' As seen in 2, the. small plate 0 pro jecting from. the slide-block 0, passes under theyflange of the rail and formsan additional safeguard to prevent the slide-block or base ofthesustaining-plate from lifting under the influence oflthe. wedge in case the beveled. slide-block should by any possibility fail to accomplish the same object. The longitudinal edges of the wedge are made beveled, and

The wedge .m ay,

the contiguous edges of the flange A3 and the baseof plate 0' are correspondingly beveled, as shown in Fig. 2, so thatthe wedge does not depend wholly upon its locking-spike to hold it in position. lift the base of the plate 0 so beveled is resisted by the beveled slide-block dovetailed upon the base-plate of the chair and by the plate 0 hooked upon the flange of the rail, as above explained. By having the spikeholes A transversely elongated the plate 0 can be readjusted in position by the wedge without removing the spikes inserted through such elongatedslots.

- When desired, movable sustaining-plate O can be secured in place by means of spikes alone or by any. other knownappliancain very great strength can beobtained with com.

paratively thin plates.

What I claim. asrnew, and desire to. secure by Letters Patent, is.',

1. In arailway-rail joint, a rail-supporting chair provided on one sidewith-arailsus: taining ,flange or plate and on the opposite side with a wedge-retaining flange and inter mediate spike-holes, in combinationwith a rail-sustainingplate movable ,to and fro be.-

vided with transversely-elongated spike-holes A and a wedge-shaped adj usting-plate movablelongitudinally of the chair between. the movable; rail-sustaining plate and thewedgeretainingflange, substantially as described; I

2.v In a railway-rail join-t, a rail-supporting chairnprovided on one side, with '5 a trail-Susy taining fla'nge orplate and on the opposite sidef with a wedge retaining ,fiange,.and an intermediate slideway extending transversely of thechair and having the edgewalls of the chair-plate,- -forming the .slideway beveled orinclined outward on the lower side, in combination with a rail-sustaining plate movable I call the plates A and O rail-sus- The tendency of the wedge to l I O0 tween the. side flanges ot' 'thechair and protoand fro between the flanges. on thechairv and provided with a slide-block interlo'ckably movable in said slideway, and a wedge-shaped adj usting-plate movable longitudinally-of the.-

chair between the movable. rail-sustaining plate, and a Wedge-retaining flange, substantially as described.

3. In a railway-rail joint, ,a rail-supporting. chair provided with a rail-sustaining fiangew or plate gradually diminishing ,in thickness from the longitudinally-central. part toward its -ends,'.in combination with a detachable rail sustaining. plate ..,gradu,ally diminishing,

in thickness from the longitudinally-central part toward its ends, substantially as de.-=

scribed. f

4. In a railway-rail joint, a rail-supporting.

chair .provided with :a rail-sustaining flange or plate having longitudinally-ribbed ex- IO spike-hole registering with a chair-aperture,

and a locking-spike adapted to enter such spike-hole and aperture, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day of December, 1888.

JOHN W. WALSH.

\Vitnesses:

W. H. HoLLIsTER, Jr., FRANK C. CURTIS. 

